Bachelor of Architectural Science

at British Columbia Institute of Technology - Burnaby Campus Canada

The demand for qualified financial planners is high, so if you’re interested in investments and working with people, this diploma program can help you move into a successful, rewarding career.
By focusing your training at BCIT in this two-year diploma program, you’ll be 100% prepared to start work in investment and financial planning upon graduation. And with our strong mentorships, networking opportunities, and focus on practical, useable skills, many students have job offers even before graduation.

Program Highlights

• Focused on practical training for financial and investment planning and advising
• Strong industry connections and networking opportunities
• After graduation, transition to the workforce or apply to complete your Bachelor of Business Administration degree at BCIT with full-time or part-time evening courses

Find more details of how you’ll be prepared for success upon graduation in the Program Details.

Who should apply for the Financial Planning Diploma?
This program might be right for you if you:

• Are service-focused
• Enjoy interacting with people
• Have high emotional intelligence
• Have an interest in investments
• Enjoy forecasting and problem solving

The Electrical Power and Industrial Control option of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) program offers students a foundation in the technology used in utility, industrial, commercial and residential applications. Graduates will have strong theoretical and practical, hands-on knowledge in many areas, including:

• Power generation including renewable and conventional energy resources
• Electric machines (motors and generators) and their controls
• Power distribution design for utilities
• Industrial electrical systems and lighting design according to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC)
• Measurement of power quality issues and how to solve them
• Troubleshooting and operation of electrical power equipment including transformers and switchgear
• Power systems protection including both legacy and modern protection system
• Field measurement and design for grounding and bonding systems
• Industrial data communications including traditional SCADA systems and new smart grid technologies
• Industrial power electronics including variable frequency drives, inverters and rectifiers
• Power conversion systems for renewable energy resources such as wind and solar
• Programmable logic controller (PLC) system design and programming
• Managing and completing student-initiated or industry-sponsored projects in small groups

Co-operative education:
Co-operative education is an optional part of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology programs. Students who successfully complete a minimum of two co-op terms receive a co-operative education designation on their diploma.
During a co-op term, you will have a full-time paid position with an employer in the electronics industry for a period of 15 to 20 weeks. You must complete Level 2 of the program before taking a co-op term, and co-op terms may be taken consecutively.
The industrial experience you will gain in the co-op component of the program will give you an added advantage in securing a position after graduation. You are encouraged, but not required, to participate in co-operative education.

The Bachelor of Engineering in Mining and Mineral Resource Engineering program is designed to allow well qualified students who successfully complete the first year of the Mineral Exploration and Mining Technology diploma program to apply to complete an engineering degree through three additional years of full-time study.

The vision of the program is to provide students with a flexible educational path for successful careers in the mineral resource industry both in Canada and worldwide. As such the degree will have a strong practical focus built upon a broad foundation of engineering theory, analysis and design. Throughout this program, students will be challenged to develop their critical thinking skills and exercise their creative abilities.

The mineral resource industry is a cornerstone of many communities throughout BC and Canada and it is a major contributor to our economy. Canada is recognized as a world leader in mineral exploration and mining, and our expertise is exported around the world to help discover, develop, and operate mines.

As one of the largest users of high-technology equipment and applications, the mining industry requires professionals who have the skills and knowledge necessary to keep up with these advances. Virtually all technical jobs within the fields of mining and mineral exploration require a post-secondary education. If you are interested in a challenging and varied work environment, in the office, lab or field, and like solving engineering problems, this program will appeal to you. Take the Mining and Mineral Resource Engineering program, the only program of its kind in Western Canada.

Rapid advances in technology have increased public expectations of their communities and the buildings constructed in them. Buildings are expected to be designed and constructed to rigorous standards of workmanship and safety while at the same time incorporating all the features that contribute to speed of erection, financial efficiency and user satisfaction. High public expectations and the dynamic nature of the industry present both a challenge and an opportunity, attractive criteria for any career.

The Program
Architectural and Building Technology (ABT) is a comprehensive, two-year diploma program with a focus on applied learning. It combines sound theoretical knowledge with practical skills and technical training to provide job-ready competencies for immediate application upon entering the workforce. Students learn from industry-based faculty, develop extensive practical skills for rewarding careers, and graduate with an industry recognized credential in the design, development, construction, and building science sectors. Many employers seek out graduates from this program to join their companies.

Students follow a fixed curriculum of common courses that includes lectures and practical applications in construction drawing, materials and methods, estimating techniques, building systems, and computer applications. Organized field trips and 'hands-on' workshops form part of the curriculum and attendance is required. Students are often able to further their education through summer jobs with architects, engineers, developers, and contractors.

In the second year of the program, in addition to the common academic core, students take an Elective course (subject to departmental approval) in one of three areas of specialization. The Elective courses are:

Architectural:
Primarily intended for those students who plan to pursue careers in architectural offices, offer design services, pursue an architectural degree, or the Architectural Technologist Registration program through the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC).

Building Science:
Primarily intended for those students who plan to pursue careers in durable building construction, building problem diagnosis, testing of construction assemblies, new materials research and development, and environmental challenges in creating the built environment.

Are you ready for an adventure in tourism? With tourism becoming one of the world’s most profitable industries, exciting job opportunities for qualified candidates are growing … and with the right training, you could make your dream career in one of the most fun industries.

The Tourism Management diploma program is designed by working industry professionals to give you the most relevant, current skills and knowledge to be successful in the challenging, varied world of tourism. In BC’s only business-focused tourism marketing program, you’ll receive rigorous, comprehensive training in all aspects of tourism like social media promotions, event planning, and more.

By getting the hands-on experience and training BCIT is known for, you’ll be prepared with the most up-to-date training, leadership skills, and confidence to begin your career in tourism.

Program Highlights

• Only business-focused tourism marketing program in BC
• Practicum in the industry for practical experience
• Option to apply course credits later toward your bachelor’s degree
• Find out more about how earning your diploma from BCIT can help get your career on the move in the Program Details.

Who should apply for the Tourism Management Diploma?
Whether you’re recently graduated from high school, have some post-secondary education and work experience, or already have a bachelor’s degree, this diploma program can give you the specific skills for an exciting industry to help you land that first job or grow your current career.
You’re hard working

• You’re focused on getting what you want
• You’re personable and service-oriented
• You’re looking to start an exciting career in tourism

Set the stage for a prosperous career in business with the Accounting diploma program at BCIT. By training with knowledgeable, experienced instructors who are respected professionals in the accounting industry, you’ll learn how accounting is the backbone of businesses big and small. In just two years, this highly experiential program will prepare you to step into a corporate office or head back into the classroom to complete your bachelor’s degree. The road to CPA designation is an easy one with the accounting programs at BCIT.

Who should apply for the Accounting Diploma?
The Accounting diploma program is right for you if you:

• Have completed high school or higher
• Have a degree and need accounting upgrading
• Are looking to earn your CPA designation 
• Want to pursue a multi-faceted business career

The program aims to offer the engineering and science students the additional knowledge and skills required to work in environmental assignments like life cycle assessment, contaminant hydrogeology, integrated solid waste management, contaminated sites, resource management, water treatment facilities, green energy technology projects, climate change, sustainability management, air quality and environmental impact assessment. The core topics, specialty courses, liberal studies courses, management courses and the applied research courses in the program are structured to accommodate the needs of a diverse range of applicants and to provide the correct skill sets to prepare them for a broad range of career opportunities.

The BCIT Global Trade and Transportation Management diploma program provides the skills necessary to market products globally, import, export, transport goods, and manage an international team. You will analyze international markets, plan product entry strategies, and design optimum transportation strategies to grow global trade for Canadian and international companies. Graduates travel the world, establish trade partnerships, and improve the movement and distribution of goods and services in Canada and abroad.

BCIT Global Trade and Transportation Management students learn to:

• Determine a product’s feasibility in a new market
• Select optimal transportation options
• Manage inventory and supply chains
• Conduct effective international negotiations
• Build relationships with international partners

The Chemical and Environmental Technology diploma program offers the student a broad background in technology and skills that can be applied to many industries. Near the end of their first year in the program, students will choose one of two options: Analytical Science or Process Engineering. These options are not exclusive — all students will have enough exposure to both topic areas to qualify for a full spectrum of varied employment opportunities. Choosing an option allows students to pick an area of interest for increased emphasis while still keeping their future options open.

Core courses
The first-year curriculum is common to both options and emphasizes environmental science, bioprocesses, materials technology, laboratory techniques and safety along with math and science basics. The student is also introduced to environmental science, materials technology, and a wide range of industrial chemical processes. The core second-year subjects for both options include several courses in environmental sampling and analysis, chemical engineering technology, instrumental analysis, physical chemistry, and statistics that will prepare students for employment in a broad range of industries and technical occupations. Students will participate in an industry-sponsored project (practicum or directed studies) in the second year of the program. This may involve work experience activities at the industry sponsor's regular place of business.

Process Engineering option
The Process Engineering option will interest students who would enjoy an increased emphasis on chemical and biochemical processes, with a more in-depth introduction to engineering principles and design software. The strong core courses will ensure that the graduates have sufficient knowledge to compete for jobs in analytical laboratories too, if that later becomes their choice. It is anticipated that graduates who choose to continue into degree studies would be able to choose from BEng (chemical engineering) programs as well as from BTech or BSc degrees.

Architectural Science is a bridge between design theory and building technology. The purpose of this degree program is to develop graduates with highly relevant knowledge and skills in a way that emphasizes holistic and critical thinking at the intersection between living systems, culture and technology, so that our students emerge as industry-ready participants in the real world of sustainable thinking and building.

The Bachelor in Architectural Science is a full-time two-year program laddered onto a two-year architectural technology diploma (BCIT ABT or equivalent) delivering a broadly based, technically current curriculum on the theoretical and applied aspects of architectural science. The program methodology is to teach a ladder of critical thought, following a deliberate and evolving framework through progression, analysis and repetition to ingrain sustainable thinking, reinforced in every core course delivered.

Students will work on studio projects of increasing scale and complexity culminating in the Graduating Project: a comprehensive building design merging architectural design and building performance, supported by expert industry consultants. Cultural history, material explorations, project management, building science and communication skills will be taught within the program and incorporated into holistic design solutions, integrating social responsibility with technical expertise. Students will take general education courses in Liberal Studies and Business and choose between several professional electives to complete their Bachelor Degree.

The program integrates experiential learning activities, community outreach initiatives and international opportunities, including the option to study abroad for a term. These options may have a limited number of openings subject to an application process.